The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Cassie’s (12) life is turned upside down when her father moves out, leaving the family struggling to keep everything as normal as possible. Cassie’s mother sells their house and moves her three children into a condo, leaving behind a decidedly ordinary middle-class life. After the nanny for five-year-old Jackson quits, older sister Miranda offers to take on the babysitting duties. But, like everything else she promises to do around the house, this too ends up falling on Cassie’s shoulders. Between attempting to meet the page-count requirement in her English class journal and negotiating the typical social problems of any junior-high student, Cassie takes it upon herself to hold the family together. Unfortunately, as the family starts to unravel, so does the story. Stereotypes, like the stern, but caring teacher and the overweight, but smart classmate populate Cassie’s world. Additional problems include the erratic behavior of Cassie’s mother and the unsatisfying resolution of the major conflict of the missing father. Overly familiar and uneven. (Fiction. 10-14)

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